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Thursday, 23 July 2015

ITK = Inherently Tedious Know-nowts

The need to be "In The Know" is a relatively new phenomenon. Perpetuated by social media, where transfer rumour sites and individuals set up accounts play on the insecurity of fans in the transfer window and soak up the hits. Posting stories with little verification of sources, they stir up the fans and watch their hit rate rise and followers and likes numbers multiply. Then there are the fans who take it all up as gospel, giving oxygen to the rumour mongers. Do they think that it must be true, as the account has Football League or League One in the name. Does adding this give it any real credibility? ITK stories are like an opiate for the football masses. Except the drugs don't work.

If you throw shit at a wall often enough, eventually some of it will stick. It's like that with ITK'ers. Billy Sharp is coming, done deal. Just a matter of time. He has had his medical. Just waiting to tie loose ends up.

Two weeks ago "Billy Sharp set to sign in next 48 hours, my sources are telling me". One week ago "Sources telling me that Billy Sharp is signing for the Blades in the next 48 hours". This week "Billy Sharp to sign for Blades in next 24 hours sources told me". They retweet other accounts, accounts with a hand full of followers but with a familiar twitter avi but with a (not so) subtle name difference. Can you see it?

So eventually, if and when Sharp signs, they can say "I told you so". Like it gives them some sort of hero status. If challenged they will refer to delays and problems, but they will be adamant the deal was on back when they first announced it to the world (or twitter). Because, you know, they are in the know.

What about the medical you said had taken place? How come he played for Leeds risking injury? Questions they can't answer but steadfastly stick by their claims. You heard it here first, last and at every possible point in between.

At the other end of the scale we have the wannabe ITK'ers. Pleading the chairman for the merest transfer hint on Facebook, regardless of how often he says he will not be drawn on specific names or transfers. They are pestering the press on a daily basis, sometimes every couple of hours during the day! "Any news on player X pal?", "Heard any whispers why player Y isn't playing a meaningless pre-season friendly?". As if the media boys are going to give them an exclusive rather than save it for themselves. It's their livelihood not some egotist in a verbal cock waving exercise for the usually flaccid.Some use transfer rumours as click-bait to make money from clicks to their site, some are fantasists claiming to know, or even that they are, agents. The only contacts most of them have are the lenses in their eyes. They have more time on their hands than any reasonable person will find, although I guess it is easy when you are still sat there at your laptop, in yesterday's underpants, at 4 in the afternoon, eating Rice Krispies from the box.

Frankly it's boring. I blame Sky. Yes I know they are easy to blame, but Sky Sports News and it's sharing of "Breaking" news encourages these halfwits to believe they are the next Jim White (heaven help us) or Nick Collins. This "Breaking" "Sky exclusive" is usually something they have read on twitter or from another media service. Everything pre-fixed with "Sky sources….." - AKA some trainee on a laptop scouring the internet for any news that seems halfway credible.

To be honest the only thing breaking will be my phone screen when I see another 300 follower rumour account ask to follow me or seeing their bull retweeted on my timeline.

Whilst looking at some of these accounts when writing this piece, I was amused by the interchange between two of these rumour accounts below. Each claiming to be the verified source on a story, each demanding the other gives them credit before it then turns into the most cringe worthy interchange whereby they are arguing over the FC moniker used at the start of each accounts name and when they first set their account up. The irony of two twitter accounts, set up to repeat rumours read elsewhere on twitter, arguing about originality was clearly lost on them. Yet these cretins clearly believe their own hype. They thinks they are some modern day soothsayer.

Then you note that it was all over a story that wasn't true anyway. You just couldn't write it. Well actually, you can and they did.

Many people/fans could be classed as in the know, but it's more about how you manage your new found knowledge. I have heard things in the past, that have turned out to be true. Would I share them for a social media slap on the back? No, I wouldn't. Why jeopardise friendships and people's livelihoods just to say to everyone else "I knew before you!"? Then again, if the person who tells you is daft enough to keep telling you when you blab all at the first opportunity, then perhaps they deserve any outcome they get, especially if they are a club employee and the story is traced.

In a way I like the fact we are going about our business quietly and steadily. Whilst I would like to see more activity, I trust the management to get on with it in their own time and in the meantime I will share with you my exclusive bit of ITK knowledge.